2001 Mazda Millenia from North America - Comments

Like everyone else I have experienced problems with the Mazda Milli S series, within the last two months it has been in the shop 5 times and the problems still not have been fixed. From the timing belts to the vacuum hoses to the radiator etc... this is an AWFUL car!!! Almost $4000 in maintenance.

We have owned a 2001 Millenia since 2002. We love the car. We bought it used with 28,000 miles on it and it currently has 209,000.

Yes, the check engine light has been on for maybe 4 years, it's a common problem with this car. We don't worry about it.

We have had the timing belt replaced, we have had the O2 sensor replaced, we have has the steering column replaced, and other things. But, it has never given us a lot of problems.

We have had the gas smell before, and now the transmission is slipping, but we have driven this car into the ground. We're hoping to fix the transmission issue and keep the miles ticking, but if it doesn't work out - it was a great run!

I think a lot of negative comments about this car are from people who may have bought the car from a shady dealer. Shady dealers = shady cars.

I have a 2002 Mazda Millenia S that I bought last year. It has 95K on it and since 2 months the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODE ON THE DASH CAUSING IT TO HAVE A HESITATION/MISFIRE. What can I do to fix the problem? Thanks.

I have a 2001 Mazda Millenia with 56,000 miles on it. Never had any problems mechanical problems. Had to change control arms and suspension boots the other day, but that was covered by Mazda's extended warranty for these vehicles. The warranty costs $450 for 5 years with a $200 deductible.

I had a 1995 Millenia prior to this one.

I had the O2 sensor problem like everyone else is talking about. That is not because of bad sensors, it's because of a bad battery sending bad codes to the computer. Try changing your batteries and see what happens; that should solve majority of the problems, even the traction control.

I purchased a 2001 Millenia S on March 14, 2009. Traded a 1995 BMW 525i with major problems. I'm at the dealership now getting an oil change, duplicate key and touch up paint. I'm hoping to not have any of the problems I've read about on this site. So far it drives great - but it had only been a few days.

I have a 2002 Mazda Millenia S with 89,312 miles. The airbag light began to flash on/off around January 2009 for about 2 -3 weeks. It stopped flashing for about a month. Now it is flashing on/off again. I'm going to have a diagnostic test performed; however, does anyone have any advice on what could be causing the problem?

In addition, I sometimes experience a loss of power in the windows and radio (sound is off but radio is still on) for about 1 minute; then both will come back on. Any thoughts on this item as well and what is probably the cause?

Thanks.

I own a 2001 Millenia S for 2 years now, had 30k miles, now at 78k.

Only thing I had replaced so far was just both CV axles, other than that, full synthetic oil with K&N filter every 10k miles, runs like a champ and only now has shift solenoid problem, which is either the solenoid or the transmission, and just fixed my vacuum hose leak under the throttle body, love the car, looks good and has the kick for passing and launching when needed, and enough to compete with Lexus luxury.

This is my 2nd Millenia S, had a 2000 before this with 40k miles and sold it at 60k as it started giving me more problems with engine smoking and loss of power and O2 sensors, cats, coils. You name it, I changed it, including the supercharger, but I still loved the car enough to buy another one, and I like the styling more of the 2001-2002.

I have a @001 Mazda Millenia S with the Miller motor... It has 83,000 miles. It just started to have e A rotten smell inside the car... like an animal crawled up inside and died.

Moldy mildew kind of rotten food smell... it doesn't go away.

My daughter use to turn the heater up to 90... I told her not to turn it higher than 77... Do you think that could have something to do with it???

Car runs perfect... except for the smell! Anyone know what it is??? HELP!

I am in desperate need of some help. I have a 2001 Mazda Millenia S with 96k miles on it. My problems are listed below:

1. Whenever it rains, IF I can get the car started, the idle is rough (I found two hoses to a broken 'T' connector and connected two, looking for the third)

2. Whether from a standing start or already in motion, whenever I press the accelerator, there is hesitation and then little acceleration afterwards, followed by better acceleration later.

3. Looking at previous posts, I also have the flashing airbag light that started recently.

Please forward all advise to supranyc@aol.com. Thanks in advance.

I've owned the standard version of the 2001 Millenia for just about four years now. My father drove it before me and put 99% highway miles on the car. I do more city driving, but haven't encountered any significant repairs with the car.

Before purchasing it from my dad we replaced the caty converters and sensors, with hopes of fixing the CEL light always being on. Like so many others, it fixed the problem just long enough to pass the emissions test, but the light is often always on.

I now refer to it as a "time to fill er' up" light, and completely ignore it unless it begins to blink. I have encountered the blinking and had a mechanic tell me I had a piston misfire (commonly occurs in this car w/high mileage while going up a steep hill).

I have also replaced the original battery with a fancy interstate battery that seemed to give my car a bit more juice. Other maintenance at 100k was tires, new belts & filters etc.

Things that I've seen and problems I share with my Millenia:

1. Notice that the car gear (s) "slips" or hesitates between 1st & 2nd gear, but is fine past that. Greatest shifts come higher up (3rd into 4th).

2. CEL light comes on regardless of repairs, often goes out when car tank is full or I manually disconnect the battery when I'm bored of the orange. (cheapest solution is a piece of electrical tape over the CEL light on the dash!)

3. Car "runs rough" during the cold winter months. Extreme conditions like -5/-10 degree nightly temperatures here in WI will probably do that to any car. Also, during winter the TCS light comes on when initially starting car until it "warms up" after a minute or two, and drives just fine after.

4. On rare occasions I experience the "front end rumble." Not sure what this is, but seems to go away after putting the car in gear. Often happens during the cold winter months.

5. Button to release the gas cap often works at a winning the lottery frequency. This has gotten better since I've passed the 120k mile mark. It works every time now (knock on my interior wood)!

All in all I think it's a great car. I have Z-rated Michelin tires on the car to add to it's performance, handling, and overall riding comfort. I will never buy a cheaper tire for this vehicle, these are a must!

Seems like a lot of the mechanics are quick to blame an 02 censor or caty converter. Not sure these are even the problem at all, as I've replaced both with my CEL light igniting while leaving the lot of the repair shop.

This car offers a luxury offer to it's driver (s) and I believe is highly reliable, once you can get past worrying about that stupid CEL light.

I would definitely recommend keeping the car, barring any severe transmission work if you're still making payments. Good luck Millenia owners!

Somewhere here I read that CEL lights are often caused by faulty tank lids. Maybe a new tank lid is all your Millenia needs.

Clara, '98 Milli w/2.5 liter, has been a peach since mile 12 on her odometer. She now treads along with 178,000 plus miles and she wears many the same scars as her sisters/brothers on this forum. CEL still on after replacing the 02 sensor near the firewall. No other code comes up on the code reader.

I have always used good gas, gas treatments, had oil changed every 4,000 miles. (Owners manual states 5,000 and dealer says 3,000) Tranny replaced at 130,000 but was result of incident with debris on road.

Good girl since then.

I'd only give her up due to children being so very tall and do not find rear seat comfortable. Was considering 2009 Mazda6 but dealership wouldn't budge on pricing, so I walked.

Good luck.

I have a 2001 Millenia (base model) and have had very few problems with it... Until this past year and that was just the timing belt needing to be replaced.

However, in the last 2 weeks I am hearing a noise from under the hood that sounds like a quiet helicopter. Does anyone know what this noise is?

I also need to get front brakes and new spark plugs. My dad also said that I may need new half shafts. Any clue how much this will cost? And taking into consideration the helicopter noise, do you this it is time for a new car?

Help!

I have the same exact problem, can anyone help? I also have the engine light on. I went to my mechanic and they said it was the cat converter, finally I went to the dealership to get it replace because they say it warrantied to 80K miles, but they said it wasn't the cat converter and mentioned it was the O2 sensor, so I got it replaced and the engine light still on? Now it's vibrating like it's going to fall apart, they said alignment was good as well as the axle then they said it was the tires so I replaced tires but I still get that nasty vibration when I drive 60+.. Can anyone help me please? ZEEKCV@YAHOO.COM, any answers would be appreciated.

Thank you.

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I own a 2001 Mazda Millenia P (not the supercharged). I have 143,000 miles and have had very little in the way of major repairs.

I change the oil every 3000 miles. I have small oil leaks from various gaskets, but recently I am having the violent vibration and shaking from the engine when my foot is on the gas above 60 mph. As soon as I take my foot off the gas the shaking stops. It sounds like a bunch of owners have had this issue. What is it?

Based upon the prior posts, I might be better off just getting rid of the car before I get into all those expensive repairs, but I do love this car.

Please send help email to fischsite@bellsouth.net.

I have a 1999 Mazda Millenia automatic, V6 engine. Perfect car. 121,000 miles. No major repairs. I just had a 60-point check to see if all was well. Mechanic said it was time to replace timing belt, that along with oil change and new spark plugs would cost $1700. So I looked in manual. The manual says that for intially registered California cars (which mine is) that the timing belt needs to be changed at l05,000 miles. Five years ago, upon another mechanics advice I'd had the timing belt changed at 60,000 miles. So should I figure that timing belt should last another 105,000 miles? And that I don't need another new one until I have 165,000 miles on the odometer? Car runs perfectly and always has.